[color=#D4987F][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/P7enTOf.png[/img][/center]

[color=#035E7B]Time:[/color] Evening 
[color=#035E7B]Location:[/color] Outside the Banquet Hall
[color=#035E7B]Interactions:[/color] [@TpartywithZombi] Ariella
[color=#035E7B]Mentions:[/color] [@Helo] Leo, [@Lava Alckon] Drake,  [@princess] Duchess Victoria
[color=#035E7B]Outfit:[/color] [url=https://i.imgur.com/QoPP1pz.jpeg]Dress, Hair, and Makeup[/url]

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Thea startled when she felt an arm slide around hers. Her first instinct was to pull away, but she didn’t. She glanced at Ariella in surprise.

They barely knew each other, only traded glances at events and the occasional polite greeting in passing. And yet, here she was. A bottle of wine in one hand, warmth in her smile, and no judgment in her eyes. Thea blinked, confused for a beat, but her feet kept moving and she let the other woman guide her away from the wreckage of the banquet.

Her voice landed gently, not as a joke, not as pity. Just… understanding.

Thea didn’t answer at first. She couldn’t. Her throat was too tight. But her fingers curled lightly around Ariella’s arm, grateful for the anchor.

The cool night air hit her as the doors opened, and for a moment, she could finally breathe.

She took a long pull straight from the bottle, the wine sharp and burning, but it steadied her. If only a little.

Ariella’s voice filled the quiet beside her, softer now. [color=slateblue]“She threatened me again, on her way out. I didn’t even bother responding this time. Karma’s coming. Sooner or later.”[/color]

Thea’s eyes flicked to her, searching her face, her expression shocked followed by some comcern.

And then she spoke, her voice small and raw.

[color=#035E7B]“No. I’m not okay, if I'm being honest.”[/color]

It was the truth, stripped bare. No theatrics. No sarcasm. Just truth.

[color=#035E7B]“I think I ruined everything. Leo’s upset. Drake’s upset. My mother…well, she was never proud to begin with, but I think I just gave her a new reason to hate me.”[/color] Her grip tightened on the bottle. [color=#035E7B]“I didn’t mean to turn things into a scene. I just… I don’t know. I was trying to do something right for once. And now it feels like everyone I care about is just… disappointed.”[/color]

She laughed bitterly and wiped at her cheek with the back of her hand.

[color=#035E7B]“And your mother—gods, I just got so irritated watching her treat you like that. Like you weren’t enough. Like nothing you ever did would be right in her eyes. I’m so [i]tired[/i] of mothers like that. Of people who act so perfect while ripping others to shreds.”[/color] Her voice trembled with quiet rage. [color=#035E7B]“They gossip and sneer and call it concern, but they don’t know a damn thing about the people they’re judging. They don’t ask what someone’s been through. They don’t [i]care.[/i]”[/color]

She took another drink, slower this time, and exhaled sharply.

[color=#035E7B]“I just… I wish people would stop assuming. Just ask. Just [i]check in[/i].”[/color]

Her words slowed, her gaze shifting to Ariella.

[color=#035E7B]“And that’s exactly what you’re doing.”[/color]

She blinked, the realization softening her. [color=#035E7B]“You barely know me. And you still came after me. You didn’t have to. But you did.”[/color]

She looked away, breath catching slightly. [color=#035E7B]“That’s what I want from people, you know? Just… that. Not judgment. Not cold stares. Just someone who gives a damn.”[/color]

She glanced away, swallowing hard.

[color=#035E7B]“I know I’m too much. Too loud. Too reckless. I drink too much, talk too much, feel everything way too [i]big[/i]. And maybe that’s why people keep leaving. Or looking at me like I’m this exhausting thing they have to manage.”[/color]

The words cracked near the end. She took another swig, more desperate this time.

[color=#035E7B]“I don’t want your brother to hate me,”[/color] she whispered, eyes downcast. [color=#035E7B]“He’s… He’s kind. He makes me feel safe. I don’t feel that often.”[/color]

She shook her head with a broken laugh.

[color=#035E7B]“I’m sorry. You barely know me, and here I am, crying into wine like some dramatic cautionary tale. But you came after me anyway.”[/color] Thea looked at her, voice barely above a breath. [color=#035E7B]“You didn’t have to.”[/color]

There was silence for a beat, and in it, Thea’s defenses thinned, just enough to let something else in—something small and scared but stubbornly hopeful.

[color=#035E7B]“Maybe Drake's not the only Edwards who makes me feel safe.”[/color][/color]